Burnt by Chemo Drugs

Mid May 2008 - A few days after I was discharged, the spot where the nurse had inserted an iv plug for the chemo was very itchy and inflamed. Nearby along the same vein where the ward doctor had dug for blood when I was warded, the spot was turning red and itching too. Then blisters appeared on these two spots.

Initially, I left the blisters alone, but they kept getting bigger and firmer, so I de-blister them. But new ones formed. I applied some antiseptic cream on the spots and kept them covered in case they got scratched. I had passed it off as another chemo side-effect until I saw my onco.

26 May 2008, Mon - I was supposed to have my 5th dose of chemo.

I casually mentioned the blistered areas and showed them to Dr Wong. She was concerned. She said that was a burnt caused by a leak of the chemo drugs. She said I got to be careful and that if the area had been bigger, the whole skin could be peeled off.

She checked my arm and said that there didn't seemed to be any more suitable space left for insertion of the iv plug for chemo, and suggested that I had a central line inserted in my left chest. She made arrangements for the insertion of the central line on 29 May, Thursday, and my 5th dose of chemo was postponed until then.

Then she told me to go up to the chemo unit and show the staff the burnt marks.

I wasn't prepared for the reaction by the staff in the chemo unit. I showed Nurse Kym and she quickly went to get a doctor. Then she came back with a camera and measuring tape. She took pictures and measured the size of the two spots. They asked what had happened, what had I applied and what had I done to the blisters. Which nurse? Said it was a guy, but I couldn't remember the name. Was it the handsome one? Erm.. didn't know which one they were actually referring to, so I suggested they checked their records instead.

They were shocked to find that I had de-blistered them myself. They said I should have called them immediately and also gone to the NCC to have it treated. They deliberated on whether to give me some cream, but then decided against it as the wounds were starting to heal nicely.

Some days later, the skin on the two affected spots started peeling off. I'd been applying essential oil on them and the wounds gradually healed. (At the time of writing this blog, it's been around 3 months and the scars are still visible.)

Oops! So, when I de-blistered them, I must have exposed myself to the chemo drugs. Fortunately, the wound subsequently healed and I didn't get any complications.

The nurses at the chemo unit all wore long-sleeved, waterproofed coats that reached to their knees as a protection. They wore latex gloves when preparing and handling the drips.